And is there something missing in St. John's top-five recruiting class?

These questions and more are addressed by National Recruiting Analyst Jerry Meyer in this week's mailbag.

What's up with Kansas?

It appears that Kansas' recruiting is not as good as other comparable schools. Do you think Kansas can still land SG Ben McLemore or the California center, Norvel Pelle? It appears that Cook has cut Kansas from his list?

- Lekey from Thimphu

That's right, Kansas is no longer in play for Quinn Cook, who is headed to Duke. After Kansas suffered a big recruiting blow when top target and five-star point guard Josiah Turner committed to Arizona without even visiting Kansas, which was thought to be his leader, the Jayhawks did get involved with Cook. When they took a commitment from point guard Naadir Tharpe, however, the short-lived recruitment of Cook was over.

So we are days from the early signing period and Kansas has one commitment from a fringe top 100 prospect.

Last year Kansas was in exactly the same position and then hauled in the No. 1 prospect in Rivals150 Josh Selby.

Kansas won't get the No. 1 prospect this year, but it appears to be in a good position to land McLemore, who is a five-star prospect.

As for Pelle, Kansas is in his top three, but I have a feeling that St. John's is the team to beat.

UConn hasn't missed the boat

Jerry, do you see UConn landing Ryan Boatright after his recent visit? Also does UConn have enough time to land another elite player to complement him? Finally, will Andre Drummond play basketball for UConn once he decides?

- Nick from Ohio

Definitely, I see Connecticut as the firm leader for Boatright. If Boatright does indeed visit UNLV as scheduled this weekend, things could certainly change. There is nothing like getting a prospect on campus to swiftly make up ground in a recruiting race.

A great running mate for Boatright, who is still uncommitted, is Trevor Lacey. The four-star prospect is a physical combo guard who shoots the ball very well from the outside. His game would be a great complement to Boatright's speedy, finesse style. Presently Lacey has UConn in his top five and is expected to sign late.

There have been all kinds of rumors about Drummond, the No. 1 prospect in 2012, moving to the 2011 class or even doing a year of prep school and bypassing college for the NBA. It is hard to say what will actually happen with Drummond, but I still think it is a safe bet that he will play at least one year at UConn.

Getting the point

Now that Myck Kabongo has re-opened his recruitment, there are two top 10 point guards still on the board, Kabongo and Quinn Cook. If you were a college coach, whom would you rather have for your program considering everything from talent to intangibles to how long each is likely to stay in college?

- Matt from Philadelphia

Kabongo had a cup of coffee while decommitted but is now back in the Texas fold. Nonetheless, your question is worth addressing with only three prospects between these two in the rankings.

In terms of intangibles, it is a wash between the two. They are both intelligent and competitive with strong leadership skills.

If you have a system that needs a speedy point guard to consistently create offense for your team and also pressure the ball defensively, then Kabongo is the point guard you want.

If you have a system that calls for a controlled point guard who can really shoot and doesn't necessarily need to pressure the ball defensively, then Cook is your point guard.

Expect both of them to be in college multiple years as well.

Hoosier talk

If IU lands Cody Zeller, where would you rank the Hoosiers class of '11?

- Ken from Fort Wayne

Zeller is a must-get type of recruit for Indiana, but adding him to Austin Etherington will not boost Indiana's recruiting class into the national rankings. Zeller is a top 20 prospect and Etherington is an outstanding shooter, but it will take more than just those two prospects.

Zeller, however, is a critical recruit for Indiana in that he would give them a talented big man and would keep the strong momentum going with in-state recruiting for Tom Crean.

Lavin still lacking?

I know St. Johns has an amazing class, but isn't Steve Lavin making the same mistake he made at UCLA by not signing an elite point guard in the 2011 class?

- Don from Sacramento

I don't think it is Lavin's intention not to recruit an elite point guard. It is not that easy to land the perfect recruiting class. St. John's tried with some point guards such as Jahii Carson and Quinn Cook but it just didn't pan out.

I do agree, though, that a top-notch point guard would send the St. John's recruiting class over the top, especially if it lands a big-time center such as Pelle.